Alastor's shift had ended and he, together with Charlie, began to leave the building.

He was about to mark his work card when he looked to the side. Charlie was very close to the clocking machine with her eyes shining.

He chuckled and adjusted his glasses.

"Would you like to?" Alastor offered the card to her.

"C-Can I?" She straightens her back, and looks at the card then to him, giddily with excitement.

"Mhm." He shook the card in front of her and Charlie got it, carefully.

She stopped in front of the machine and slowly placed the card inside of it.

The blondie looked at Alastor as if she wanted to make sure it was right.

As an answer, he nods with a smile.

Charlie then looked at the machine and saw the lever.

"Out!" She smiled and Alastor nodded again. She pulled the lever and it made a loud click.

She removed the card and saw the mark was done.

"Now, the card holder." He pointed out and Charlie nodded, stepping in front of it. There were many cards there, she was trying to find an empty space for his card.

"I can't find it!" She exclaimed, squinting her eyes.

"Here." He reached for her hand while he was behind her and brought her hand to almost the top of the card holder.

There was an empty space there, almost hidden between two white cards.

She placed it there, standing on the tip of her toes since it was too high for her to reach.

"I did it!" Charlie gave a little jump while clapping.

"Wonderful, dear." He chuckled and stepped back from the girl.

Irene was at her desk, just looking at the couple and every now and then, she rolled her eyes at them.

"Thank you, Al." Charlie hugged his arm strongly, so they could proceed to their lunch.

Alastor was slowly getting used to how Charlie hugged his arm while they walked.

"Do you want to know something curious?" He started to talk while they walked out of the building.

"Sure!" She placed her cheek more against his arm while looking up at him.

"When I started working here, there weren't many of those cards. It was just a few, seven, maximum." Alastor looked down at her, smiling at how adorably her cheek squeezed against his arm looked. "It has grown a lot..."

"Because of you, then!" Charlie smiled big with a certain sparkle on her eyes.

"Huh?"

"Yes, because of your amazing work, the station grew!" Her smile was big and warm. She was picturing this in her mind: Alastor in the beginning of the station days, everybody listening to him and loving it. He was truly a star, wasn't he?

"Haha! Oh, dear! As flattered as I am, I must first thank you, and correct you. Actually, it was because of the amazing people I started to work with. Without them, the station wouldn't grow the way it did." He nodded while turning a few streets with her to arrive at their destination.

"Well, in my opinion, you are the one who entertained others. If the radio host wasn't good enough, all the other people's work wouldn't shine either." She squeezed his arm and caressed it.

Alastor opened his mouth to say something but he didn't know what to say. Charlie has a strong point.

"I- Yes?" He chuckled, adjusting his glasses.

Charlie giggled while they followed their path.

As the day passed by, they talked more about his work place and in the evening, they went to see some stores at the center of the city.

It was an incredible experience for Charlie. The day was bright, the birds were singing in the center of the city, and there were so many stores they saw. Clothing, furniture, jewelry, bakery, a few bars, other clubs until it was getting late. They were walking towards his house, when Charlie stopped for a moment.

Alastor stopped by her side, a bit confused.

"Saw something you like, Charlie?" He looked down at her when his eyes followed hers. She was staring at a painting store. There were some paintings with frames, and some without. She was staring intently at a particular one.

The painting was a blue sky over a huge green field. There was a horse running towards the horizon where there was a rainbow.

"No, I just... I mean- Yes." Charlie giggled, placing her free hand in one of her blonde locks.

"Do you want this painting?" Alastor was looking towards the girl. He didn't find the painting that appealing, but he was studying her face.

"No," She shook her head. "I just always wanted to paint, and draw, but I never had many opportunities." She released her golden lock and touched the glass.

"I see." He smiled and looked at the store. There were a few people there, looking at the shelves with products.

"You think it's silly too, don't you?" The tension in Charlie's shoulder began as soon as her head's weight was released on them. She was preparing herself for the expected answer.

"No, not at all." He smiled and looked at her.

"Huh?" Her eyes widened and she looked at the man. "Really?" He was joking, wasn't he?!

"Why would I find it silly?" He chuckled tilting his head.

"Well, because it's- a waste of time... Because the painting is too cute, and —" Charlie was interrupted by the man who chuckled.

"I could think all of that, but still, it is something YOU like. It's entertainment for you and for those who like it too. There's nothing silly about it." He raised his index finger as he was explaining to her.

For a while, Charlie was looking at the man, with no reply. She was watching him and for a moment she could swear there was NO noise on the street. Just them and no one else.

"That's very nice, Al... Thank you." She felt her cheeks growing warm. She could kiss that man right now, and she wanted to. She never had someone to say those things to her. But before she could "go for it" she remembered what Ruth said to her.

'If I were you, I would go for it. Many girls are after Alastor's talent, mysteriousness, charm, but as far as I know, no one never could ever reach him. But you... You seem like a lucky girl. So, go for it, just try to not make a mess with him.'

'Mess with him' what she meant with that?

"Are you okay?" Alastor asked once more, tilting his head. The girl woke up from her thoughts and looked at the man.

"Y-Yes," She giggled.

"You look worried. Was it something I said, dear?" Alastor was looking at her with a smile. It was funny to Charlie how he looked worried, but still had a smile on his face.

"No, I was just… Overthinking. I'm very grateful you think it's not silly. Back at home, everyone would laugh at me, but you don't." Charlie slowly reached for his hand, holding it and intertwining their fingers; her cheeks were red.

At first, Alastor was uneasy with the approach as his shoulders even tensed and he almost pulled back. But when he saw Charlie's smile and how she caressed his hand with her thumb, he let it be.

"Silly." He said with a gentle smile, still without closing his hand to properly hold hers.

"Me?" Her eyes widened.

"No, the people back at your home." He smiled and Charlie's cheeks got even more red. There was something about it; about her red cheeks that made Alastor feel enchanted, almost hypnotized.

"Thank you for the reassurance, Al." She brought his hand closer to her and slowly hugged his arm.

"You are welcome, dear." Alastor's hand went to Charlie's cheek, grabbing it and caressing it. It was intriguing to him, this desire to pinch and squeeze it. Charlie was a little confused at first and surprised how cold his hand was, but it was also a nice contrast for her, due to where she came from.

Charlie rubbed her cheek against Alastor's touch as he kept squeezing it.

When Alastor realized what he was actually doing, he let it go. Now, he was feeling his face getting warmer for some reason. It was a new feeling for him.

"Shall we go home? It's getting late." He chuckled as he saw the sky getting orange-like.

"Yes." She giggled and now squeezed her cheek against his arm.

Alastor adjusted his glasses and let Charlie hold his hand while hugging his arm.

As they got home, Alastor removed his hat and overcoat and hung them up, Charlie doing the same.

"Dear, why don't you take a shower while I prepare our dinner?" He smiled, walking towards the kitchen already and folding his sleeves.

"Don't you need help?" Charlie asked as she put her hands together in front of her body. She looked adorable.

"No, don't worry. You can help me when you finish your shower, if I'm still working on it." He spoke as he went to the fridge to get some ingredients for the dinner. Charlie smiled softly to him and nodded her head.

"Okay, I won't take long." As she said that, she walked towards the bathroom.

It took Charlie a while, but once she was done with her shower, she saw Alastor sat at his table, drinking some wine.

"Are you done making dinner?" She pouted. She wanted to help him somehow. It was a very nice experience to learn how to make toast, now she wants to learn more.

"Not exactly. I was waiting for you to finish making the sauce." He smiled and put his glass over the table.

Charlie's eyes shone. How was he so kind to her like that?

He got up and offered his hand to her. Charlie didn't think twice and placed her hand over his with a shy smile.

He pulled her closer and walked to the oven. There was a wooden spoon in a preheated red sauce. Alastor placed Charlie's hand over it and guided her while turning on the fire of the stovetop.

"Okay, so mix it well. There are some ingredients you have to mix with it, and I will guide you. When it starts to boil, it's enough and you turn the stove off."

Charlie nodded with a smile and started to mix. She mixed it a little clumsily at first, the movements new to her as she tried her best.

"No no, here." He got her hand and started to mix with her. "This is a good pace."

Charlie nodded and Alastor released her hand. She did exactly how he explained her to. Alastor remained by her side while watching how carefully Charlie was mixing the ingredients.

Now and then, the man handed some ingredients to the blonde so she could add them to the mixture.

For a moment, Alastor's eyes went up to the girl. She looked happy, which was intriguing for him. The way she was smiling and her eyes were shining just for mixing a simple sauce made Alastor mesmerize the woman.

Charlie was about to ask something to the brunette when her eyes connected with his. He was staring at her. Why was he staring? She felt her cheeks getting warmer again.

"Is everything fine, Al?" Was she dirty? She tried to slightly clean her cheek.

"Huh?" He blinked, only now realizing he was staring at her. He then chuckled and leaned his hand over the counter by the side of the oven. "Yes, I was just seeing how happy you look while cooking." Alastor adjusted his glasses with his free hand.

"Oh." She giggled and looked away from Alastor. She could feel her heart racing up inside her chest. "I think I like it. It's very interesting and I believe I said that to you; back in my home I never get a proper chance to cook… People don't let me." Another giggle, but this time her giggle was… Somehow sad.

"Well, since you are here, I can teach you to do one thing or two." Alastor smiled at the girl.

"Are you serious?" She turned her head immediately at the man, with her big eyes shining at him.

"No, I'm smiling." He smiled at her, half closing his eyes with a triumphant expression.

She pursed her lips and followed by a giggle at his lame joke.

"I'm just playing with you, dear. Yes, I'm serious. I can teach you how to cook, if you desire to." He gestured with his free hand while talking.

"Al…" Charlie was staring at the man. Twice; twice in that day, he made her heart pound harder. Twice in that day, he believed in her more than the people at her home ever did. In a rush of thoughts, Charlie released the spoon and jumped against Alastor, giving him a hug.

Alastor opened his arm, surprised with the sudden hug she gave him. He blinked a few times. Charlie was intense even to show gratitude and she didn't even think about the sauce. Charlie was hugging Alastor tight, feeling her heart beating between them.

Alastor slowly brings his free hand down, placing it over her back and caressing it.

He stopped to lean against the counter and that hand went to the oven, turning off the fire, and then placed it over her back.

Charlie snuggled against his arms. It felt so good, so good that she caressed his chest with her cheek.

For a moment they were quiet. Charlie just enjoyed how warm Alastor's hug was. And Alastor wondered why this was good. It brought him certain peace. Even if he hated hugs, this was good. For the first time, a hug was interesting and kind of good.

Charlie looked up to him with an adorable smile, while he looked down at her.

Their eyes connected and the blonde could feel her breathe getting slower as she analyzed the facial features of the human.

Alastor had this smile over his face, but his eyes looked mysterious. There's something about them that Charlie couldn't quite figure out. It was like his eyes were emotionless.

He half opened his lips and Charlie adjusted her body in his embrace. She wanted to stretch her body to reach his lips when he started to talk.

"You always have to turn off the oven if you are done cooking." He finally said, and Charlie's expression faded.

She thought... What does she even think?

"Oh, right, I'm sorry." She giggled while he released her from the embrace.

She took a little longer to release him, though. She kind of missed his arms around her.

"I think I just got emotional over your support." Charlie turned again towards the pot over the oven and mixed a bit.

"It happens. Just be careful." He adjusted his shirt and bow tie. "I think we are done." He took a cloth and with a nod he asked Charlie to step back without even saying.

She did, and put her hands behind her back.

Alastor got the pot with the sauce and brought it to the spaghetti he just cooked. Pouring it all over it, he placed the empty pot in the sink and got the one with the spaghetti.

He brought it to the small table, placing it in the center.

Charlie followed, still observing him.

"It is ready to serve." He got a bigger fork that was already at the table and rolled it to get the food.

"Tell me when it's enough." He looked at Charlie with his head down, facing what he was doing. His eyes stared at her while his glasses were almost horizontal, under his eyes.

Charlie nodded and he began to serve her. She raised her hand when it was enough.

Alastor then served himself, placing the pot over the counter by their side. He pulled the chair out for Charlie, who took a seat, and then he sat in front of her.

"So, I usually don't do that…" Alastor began after they both remained quiet. "But, I'm curious." He chuckled, adjusting his hair and then getting the napkin to clean his lips. "Why, back at your home, they didn't let you cook?" He placed the napkin over the table, placing his hands together in the air, being sustained by his elbows over the table and tilting his head over his entangled fingers.

Charlie slurped her spaghetti, placing her hand in front of her mouth. While she was trying her best to swallow it, Alastor raised one of his hands.

"Don't rush, dear. Take your time." Alastor smiled at her and analyzed the girl with his eyes half closed.

Charlie finally finished her bite. It gave her time enough to think of one good excuse. She cleaned her lips with her napkin and proceeded talking.

"My dad is a very important and influential man back at my home. So, I never had to do any of those household things. I always had someone else to do it for us." She paused and got the grape juice Alastor served her earlier.

"My mom likes to cook, but every time I reach her to try, she barely teaches me, because they both always had to rush with their own business." Charlie looked down and gave a sad smile. The silence got the best of them.

"That's why I was so excited to learn from you. It is a nice change." She giggled in an adorable way before she looked back at him.

"I see… It seems your fiancé agrees with you about not learning how to cook, right?" Alastor brought Seviathan's subject to the table without any warning.

Charlie's eyes widened at the brunette. She didn't tell him she… Wasn't with him anymore, right?

"I-'' Charlie opened her lips to tell him the truth, but something hit her. What if Alastor got the wrong idea of her if she said she wasn't dating Seviathan anymore? Also, there's one thing she noticed. She didn't think about Seviathan at all while together with Alastor. That made her giggle a bit.

Alastor raised his eyebrow at her giggle. He had a confused expression on his face, even with his smile.

"No- He never agreed with me about learning how to bake, cook, or anything. Actually, he never agrees with anything I want to do. He says it's a waste of time." She looked at Alastor again with a soft smile.

"Even art…" Alastor concluded, still staring at the woman.

"Yes, even with art." She rolled her eyes and pouted.

Silence took over the place once again. This time, there was an awkward silence, which made Charlie shrink in her seat.

"Well,-" Alastor broke the silence followed by a gesture with his hand, "I think this is the perfect time for you to enjoy what people don't let you do." He concluded, taking his glass to drink his wine before getting up and walking to the sink with it and his plate.

"Yes…" Charlie smiled, finishing the last bite remaining on her plate and then her glass of juice.

She slowly got up, hearing the water hitting the sink, Alastor was going to clean it. Charlie got closer to the man, watching how careful he was cleaning it.

Razzle and Dazzle always did that after she finished her meals, but seeing a human doing it was different.

"Can I help you, somehow?" Charlie put the plate and the glass over the counter.

"Well, you can help me dry them if you want." Alastor smiled at Charlie. Usually, he didn't have help… It's been years since he had help from someone on the house duties.

The blonde nodded with a big smile.

"Get the cloth I left on the counter by the side of the table." Alastor folded his sleeves more and began to clean the dishes. Charlie turned her body and, in a blink, she got the cloth. Alastor was giving her the dishes after he washed them. First the glasses, which were easy to dry with the cloth. Right after he handed her the pot.

That one was harder to clean because the cloth was already getting wet, since it was a big pot. Charlie looked down and had an idea. She smiled and the palm of her hands were getting slightly red.

The little particles of water remaining on the pot evaporated with the heat Charlie was emanating from her hands. The cloth was warm, and almost dry as well. Charlie put the pot aside, far from Alastor so he couldn't feel the heat.

The man gave Charlie the last two plates and shook his hands to 'dry' them a bit and wait for her to finish with the plates. Charlie, this time, didn't dry them with the heat from her hands, she dried them with the cloth and soon enough it was slightly wet again.

Alastor smiled at her and held his hand out asking for the cloth. In a shy and insecure way, she handed the cloth over.

When Alastor got it, he raised his eyebrows. It was warm, very warm. He looked at her.

"You have really warm hands. Do you know that?" He smiled and dried his hands on the cloth.

"I-I know. I was holding it very tight when you were washing the plates." She giggled flustered. What if he suspected something?

"I see, well, thank you for that. It helped to dry my dead cold hands." He chuckled and placed the cloth aside. He looked around and then back at Charlie. "I think we are done. I will take a bath and probably head to bed. Please, feel welcomed to listen to music, read a book, or whatever you desire while I prepare for bed." He smiled at Charlie when she nodded while he walked past her to the corridor.

Charlie looked around and she glanced at the gramophone. She would listen to some music and dance a little, since she and Alastor didn't go to the jazz club that day.

It was already night, the house was quiet and Charlie was facing the ceiling while thinking about the day she had and the people she met. It was so nice how she felt around there. People like Alastor, Lorraine, and Roger seemed to really listen to her. Even though she barely talked with Roger, he seemed like a very nice guy.

It has been centuries since she felt like this, with this constant warm feeling inside her chest and with a silly smile on her face.

Her smile faded when she heard, once again, a loud mumble. It was Alastor again…? The way he was mumbling was loud and desperate. Should she check on him again?

She got up to sit on her bed slowly, touching her bare feet on the ground, but stopped. He was just having a bad dream, and that's all… Just like the other time. Charlie nodded to herself and went to lay down once again. She covered herself and turned around.

The mumble ceased for a couple of minutes before she heard a VERY loud noise. Many thoughts rushed Charlie's mind, but the strongest one was that Alastor was in danger. Maybe it was the man with the very heavy aura?

In a jump, Charlie rushed towards his room, opening the room's door. The curtains were flying and making noises due the wind, and Alastor was mumbling on his bed.

He looked uncomfortable, but as she suspected, he was just having a bad dream. The blonde walked towards the window and closed it. It was cold after all. She walked towards Alastor and leaned to see him. The faces he was doing, he seemed in pain, or very disturbed.

She carefully placed her knee over his bed and caressed his face and hair.

"Sh… Everything is fine…" She whispered, making her palm warmer to touch his cheek. Alastor was such a beautiful man, even sleeping. Slowly, his face was changing, he was calming down and a little smile appeared over his face.

Charlie sighed with a silly smile over her face, looking down at the man. He looked peaceful. She remembered when she was young and had a nightmare, her mother always kissed her forehead or top of her head when she was about to leave the bedroom. Charlie did the same. She leaned and placed a very sweet kiss over Alastor's forehead.

But she didn't see the man slowly opening his eyes. As she leaned back, he looked at the figure and something hit him.

He jumped to sit over his bed and held her face. He had a mix of feelings on his eyes, he was scared, his eyes had a shine of hope and a tense smile, all battling each other on his expression.

"It's you, it's you- It's you!" He held Charlie's face with his hands, caressing, and squeezing as he did not believe who it was.

Charlie was extremely confused and felt Alastor's hand trembling. He was thinking she was someone else, wasn't him?

"Al—It's me, Charlie." She held his wrist carefully. She didn't want him to stop caressing her face. Her cheeks were warm, but it felt good. His cold touch was good to her.

"Charlie…?" He blinked a few times and leaned towards her to see if it was truly her. When he recognized her, his smile faded a little for a second. His heart was beating fast inside his chest and he felt… Hopeless.

"You were having a bad dream and I came here to check on you. I'm sorry if I scared you." She rubbed her cheek over his hand, holding his wrist and placed a little kiss over his palm.

Alastor was trying to assimilate things yet, but Charlie's kiss gave his body an unconscious shiver. His thumb started to caress her cheek, slowly. Her skin was soft.

"I'm sorry for the confusion." He said looking at the girl who was kneeled over his bed.

"What did you dream about?" Charlie's hand started to caress the man's wrist, slowly going towards his arm while she gave other kisses over his hand. She was doing this without thinking of how awkward it could be. But Alastor didn't complain about it, so she continued.

"I-…" He looked away for a moment and then smiled. "I don't remember." He lied and chuckled. "I guess it was just a nightmare."

"That's okay." She said with a smile. She gave his hand one last kiss before rubbing her cheek against his touch. "I'm just happy you're okay." Her hand slid over his arm,until she reached his face, caressing it and looking at him.

He looked back at her and her smile just hypnotized him again. Her smile and her warm cheek against his hand.

Alastor's eyes were studying the girl. She was charming, a very charming woman and her smile could steal the breath of anyone. His eyebrows frowned as he noticed what he was thinking and feeling. He wasn't quite sure what that feeling was, but Charlie certainly confused him.

His eyes went down to try to understand Charlie's pose, when he noticed she was in her nightgown.

"Oh, Lord." Alastor looked away and stopped caressing her. "Dear, you must dress up, it's a cold night." He got up without thinking twice, and got his robe that was hanging on his wardrobe's handle.

Still looking away, he got closer to her and placed his robe over her back.

"Here…" He adjusted it over her shoulders and Charlie, confused, dressed it. She closed the robe.

"Thank you… Al." She looked at him, shyly.

"No need to thank me, dear. Now, we both should sleep." He said that with a smile and walked towards his bed.

Charlie slowly sat over his bed. She saw Alastor adjusting his sheets and she slowly laid down, overthinking what just happened.

Alastor tilted his head looking at the girl. She did… She just laid over his bed? He blinked several times trying to understand.

Charlie's eyes went to Alastor and he was staring at her, quietly. That's when she noticed what she just did. Her cheeks grew red very fast and her eyes widened.

"Oh – You, you didn't mean- For me to sleep here with you I-" Charlie sat back over his bed and jumped out.

"I- I don't know what I thought, I – " She giggled nervously. "I think I'm sleepy. I'm sorry. I should get going!" She laughed, and turned her back to him. "Oh, my! I'm just so sorry." She said before closing the door behind her.

Alastor was there, just watching the scene, confused. She thought he invited her to sleep in his bed? What was that?

Charlie slowly took off the robe and hung it on his room's handle. With fast steps, she ran towards her room and shoved herself under the covers to try to forget what just happened.

Next day, Charlie woke up by herself. Once again, the house was quiet, but quieter than it should since it was a work day and Alastor should be walking around.

She got up and dressed in her robe before she left her room. She saw his room's door open and there was no one there. Same with the bathroom door. She blinked and walked towards the kitchen, there was no one there.

She was about to check the backyard when she saw a note over the backyards' door.

'Dear Charlie, I figured it would be better for you to sleep more, since I might have disturbed your sleeping hours. That's why I didn't wake you up to come with me to work.' She pursed her lips before continuing to read.

'I will be back at home for lunch, but before that I need you to go to a store for me. I ordered wines by my 'Dean' name. Could you get them for me? They will be available at 11:30 am at the store whose address is written below. There's another key that you can bring with you. It's the first one in the key holder.'

There was an address. It was on Paris Avenue, which she already knew how to get there.

'Thank you, Alastor. I hope you had a wonderful rest. Also, the breakfast is done and in the fridge. You just need to warm it up in the oven, low fire.'

Charlie nodded and smiled. He was truly a gentleman. He didn't wake her up to not disturb her sleep. That was adorable. And he even prepared her breakfast…

She looked at the clock, it was 10:05 am. She should hurry up to be able to get the wine in time, and that's what she did.

The blonde had her breakfast and changed clothes. She got the key and the note with the address and went out, locking the front door behind her.

When she got back with the wines, which were only two bottles, she opened the door and entered the house.

"Al?" She called him. At first, she didn't have any reply. But then she tried again. "Al, are you here? I'm home!" She walked towards the counter, leaving the bottles on top.

"Oh, there you are!" Alastor appeared from the corridor. "How was it?" He smiled getting closer to her.

"It was nice! The seller was very polite and he asked me to say hi to you." She giggled, taking off the bottles from the bag she had.

"Thank you for doing that to me, dear." He smiled and stared at her with his hands behind him.

"Well, this is the least I can do for you." She smiled back and turned towards him. "How was work?"

"A delight, as always. People asked for you, actually!" He chuckled.

"Oh? Really?" She felt her cheeks getting warmer.

"Yes, I guess, if you like it there, I can bring you more often." He was about to proceed when Charlie gave a little jump with her hands together.

"I would love to!" Her eyes were shining. It was super fun for her to know more about Alastor and his work.

"Well, with a reply like that, I surely will have to." He laughed and then held her hand. "Now, I have something for you!" He pulled her against him, which made Charlie's heart beat up extremely fast until she noticed he was just making a dance move with her.

"Something for me?" She blinked.

"Yes, did you not hear me, dear?" He laughed and spun her.

"I did! I just wasn't expecting it! And what is it?" She smiled, placing her hand over his chest while her other hand was holding his in case he wanted to dance.

"Come here!" He gently held her by her shoulder and started to walk towards her room. When they stopped in front of her room's closed door, he continued. "I need you to close your eyes."

"Okay…" She smiled even more, doing what he said and closing her eyes, covering them with her hands.

He opened the door and guided her inside the room, adjusting Charlie's position so she could face his surprise.

"Right, are you ready?" He smiled, talking closer to her ear. He held her shoulders, and his head was by the side of hers, facing the same direction.

"Yes!" She said with a little jump.

"I'm afraid you will have to wait for the commercials, because this program is sponsored by—" Alastor began to talk with his 'showman' voice.

"NOOO! I can't wait!" She pouted frowning her eyebrows and Alastor laughed.

"Alright, alright. You can open your eyes." He smiled big and released her shoulders.

When Charlie took her hands off her face, she opened her eyes slowly. There was an easel, a few paintings over it and a canvas. There was a little stool with a few brushes. Her mouth opened, so did her eyes.

"What…?" She felt her heart pounding even faster.

"I thought you needed that! Also, I would love to see what you can create. I just hope that's enough for you." He was once again gesturing with his hands.

"Al…" She placed her hand over her mouth while the other went to her chest. He did that for her…?

"If you don't like it, that's fine. I can go back to the store and we can find something else that you would like!" He was talking with a big smile on his face. Charlie looked behind her, her eyes were shining, almost crying.

"Thank you!" She jumped against him with a desperate hug, that caught him off guard.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you-" She held his face and without asking if it was okay, she started to kiss all over his face. He felt his cheeks growing warm, and he froze. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. "Thank you, thank you thank you-" Charlie continued her kisses, but they were getting slower and calmer, same with her 'thank you'.

"Thank you—" She kissed his nose. "Thank you—" His chin "Thank you—" The corner of his lips and then she touched his cheek with her nose, rubbing a little and looked up. His eyes were locked on her, he looked extremely confused.

"Thank you-" She pressed her lips against his, hugging him by his neck. She couldn't control it, she wanted this for a while now. Alastor's eyes widened.

_

Beta Readers:
Angel: angie_bun
Sierra: user/iced_coffee_11